AN ANALYSIS OF GEOSCIENCE KNOWLEDGE: WHAT WE KNOW VS. WHAT EXPERTS THINK WE SHOULD KNOW

The Pacific Northwest is an extremely geologically active region. Residents of this region should have an accurate baseline understanding of region-specific natural hazards like earthquakes and volcanoes, as well as the projected effects of climate change. And yet, the earth sciences are not emphasized in education the way that other sciences like biology, chemistry and physics are. This lack of emphasis may result in a poor or lack of understanding of important earth science concepts. In order to begin to assess the state of Earth Science education in Washington State, Earth Science faculty have been surveyed to determine what Earth Science concepts students should be learning at different stages in their education. The results of this survey have been used to create an assessment tool that will be used to evaluate how well specific populations of students at Western Washington University understand these concepts. The study populations include first-year students with no prior university-level earth science education, pre-service teachers (elementary education and general science education majors), and upper division geology majors. These results reflect the amount of prior knowledge students have from K-12 schooling, how well prepared future educators are, and how effective current university level Earth Science courses are. Ultimately the results of this study will help inform K-16 earth science education practices and curriculum.